The Arizona sentinel., 1887-01-22
THE WORLDS CENTER.
An Interesting Tale Told by the Brahmins
 of the City of Delhi.

IalcG HOTUHMCSb Ol SetlCultel, SistuNlo buC ancient and very important city of Delhi, the former metropolis of the Great Mogul. Its walls, gates, palaces, tombs and other great works, are won derful for size and for beauty of archi- lecture, and would require large book thoroughly to describe them. while the history of the great city, which once contained two millions of inhabitants, would almost form library. Not many miles from Delhi stands an enormous tall tower, but by whom that tower was built, and for what purpose, no one can tell. The Brahmins say, however, that it marks the center of the world: and the story they tell about it is this,
 Once upon time a certain King of Delhi, being anxious to reign long and to leave his throne to his family, and being disturbed by doubts about it, called a council of pious Brahmins, who informed him that just under where they were in consultation, and just where the great tower, called KoOtub, now stands, was the head of the great serpent which supported the world. ''Now," they said, If the King will drive down great iron into the earth, at that spot, in such way as to trans fix the head of the great serpent, he may be sure that he would reign long, and his children after him." The King made the great iron and the tower, and I I ,,+o l,o and fixed the serpent's head-or at least the Brahmins told him that he had; but. doubting the word of these holy men, and wishing to see for himself that such was the case, he had the iron pillar pulled up again. To, and behold! it was covered with blood, showing that the holy men had been right; but, unfortunately, when he wanted to drive it down again the animal very sensibly got out of the way, and very shortly afterwards the King was beset by enemies and lost not only his throne but his head. This sig nal confirmation of the Brahmins' story causes the natives to believe that the head of the great serpent is still there, supporting the world, although, as they say, it may not be eractly under the tower since the attempt of the King to transfix it a second time.
 Not far from this wonderful tower is a wonderful well. It is about thirty feet square and one hundred and twenty deep, and generally contains about forty feet of water. In addition to its use for drinking purposes, the na- tives make another use of this huge well whenever there are visitors attract ed by the fame of the tower which is the center of the world. To jump from the top into the darkness of the pool, eighty feet below, would be like leaping from a six-story house, and would appear to be certain death. Yet the Hindoos of the village close by will make the jump for avery few pence. A dozen men and boys, with nothing on but the very smallest waist-cloth, will stand upon the curbstOne, ready to jump.
 An old gray-headed fellow will bal ance himself, and then leap. For the first fifty feet or so he extends his arms and legs widely, then he brings his feet close together, puts his hands close to his side, and strikes the water with crash which echoes up the stony sides as his head disappears in the inlly-lOok- ing pool. You think he is gone! But no-in a instant his gray head ap- pears, he swims to the wall, climbs up the side to a square hole which leads to a reservoir, and is at the top again in moment, to claim his half rupee.
 Next, perhaps, jumps his grandson, a naked imp of nine or ten. You shud- der because the little fellow appears to have jumped too far, and to be in dan ger of striking the stone-work. But no! He misses the rocky side by less | than a yard, arranges his feet and hands just as his grandsire did, and falls like stone in the water. You wait long time-one minute, two minutes-but the little round, bare pate does not appear. Will they make no effort to save him? Is the boy | drowned? Not bit of it! In another moment, the grinning imp, dripping with water, is by your side. It turns out there is in the well another com munication with the reservoir, under the water, and to this the boy has dived, and thus come out; the silence and pretended alarm of those at the top being only another trick to excite sympathy and extract more money. Then, as fast as possible, the whole lot will begin to jump, pell-mell, on top of each other almost, through the open ings, up again, and down again-as long as there is a chance of extracting any coin from the strangers.
 The village people do not seem to think the water at all spoiled for drink ing purposes by being thus turned into a bathing-pool.-GOlden Days.
 The chaplain on board one of oul men-of-war tells how chance minis tration of his was directed to a good end. Observing a sailor one day over hauling his effects, he inquired: Where, Smith, are those tracts I gave you the other day?' Here they are," he re- piled, producing them. "all but that one on stealing; gave it to Joe Miller. I never steal myself. "-C Chicago Stand- qrd.
 In Philadelphia women make a